Hugh Williams (actor)
Hugh Anthony Glanmor Williams (born March 6, 1904 in Bexhill-on-Sea , England , † December 7, 1969 in London , England) was a British actor and author.
life and career
Born in a small town in the south of England's East Sussex county , Hugh Williams trained as an actor at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art . He first appeared on stage as a professional actor at age 17 and quickly became a popular lead actor on the stages of London and Liverpool . In 1929 Williams traveled to the United States for the first time , where he soon starred in a film version of Charley's aunt starring Charlie Ruggles . After returning to his home country, he became a film star in British cinema in the 1930s, often in upper-class roles. The black-haired actor played alongside Conrad Veidt , Cedric Hardwicke , Constance Bennett , Mrs. Patrick Campbell and Douglas Fairbanks junior . Williams appeared in many genres from comedy to drama or crime film.
Occasionally he made appearances in Hollywood, but there remained supporting roles, for example in the literary adaptations David Copperfield (1935) as Steerforth and in Sturmhöhe (1939) as Hindley. He also appeared on Broadway during this time. While serving in World War II, he made fewer films, but still made appearances in war films such as One of Our Aircraft Is Missing and Secret Mission . After the war, Williams was able to successfully continue his career in British film, increasingly in character roles.
After the divorce of his first marriage to actress Gwynne Whitby (1903-1984) between 1925 and 1940, he had married the native Australian actress Margaret Vyner (1914-1993) in 1940 . They had several later known children, the poet Hugo Williams (* 1942), the actor Simon Williams (* 1946) and the actress Polly Williams (1950-2004), who was married to Nigel Havers . Several of his grandchildren are also in the acting business. From the beginning of the 1950s, Williams increasingly withdrew from the big screen and increasingly played again in the theater or on the emerging television. He toured with his wife and also wrote several plays, such as the successful comedy The Grass is Greener . In the same film version of The Grass is Greener with Cary Grant and Robert Mitchum Williams and his wife also wrote the screenplay.
His last of 57 films was the star-studded adventure epic Khartoum - Rising on the Nile , where he played Lord Hartington . In 1969, Williams died of esophageal cancer at the age of 65 .
Filmography (selection)
As an actor
- 1930: Charley's Aunt
- 1932: Down Our Street
- 1932: White Face
- 1932: Rome Express (Rome Express)
- 1933: Captain Sorrell and his son (Sorrell and Son)
- 1934: Outcast Lady
- 1935: Lieutenant Daring RN
- 1935: David Copperfield
- 1935: Happiness comes to you quietly (Let's Live Tonight)
- 1936: The Happy Family
- 1936: The Man Behind the Mask
- 1937: The Windmill
- 1937: Letter Ecstasy
- 1938: The Dark Stairway
- 1938: Bank Holiday
- 1939: Sturmhöhe (Wuthering Heights)
- 1939: The Strangler (The Dark Eyes of London)
- 1942: The Day Will Dawn
- 1942: One of Our Aircraft Is Missing
- 1942: Secret Mission
- 1947: The Saving Song (Take My Life)
- 1947: An Ideal Husband
- 1949: The Romantic Age
- 1952: A meal for the fish (Gift Horse)
- 1953: Twice Upon a Time
- 1953: The Fake
- 1953: The Intruder
- 1966: Khartoum - Uprising on the Nile (Khartoum)
As an author
- 1956: The Grass is Greener (piece, with Margaret Williams)
- 1960: The Grass Is Greener (The Grass is Greener) - screenplay, along with Margaret Williams
- Charlie Girl (novel, with Margaret Williams)
Web links
- Hugh Williams in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Williams, Hugh |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Williams, Hugh Anthony Glanmor (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British actor and author |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 6, 1904 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bexhill-on-Sea , England |
| DATE OF DEATH | 7th December 1969 |
| Place of death | London , England |